My Inappropriate Life: Some Material Not Suitable for Small Children, Nuns, or Mature Adults

In her hilarious New York Times best seller You’ll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again, Heather McDonald recounted her adventures as an unwilling virgin in Hollywood. Now happily married with three wonderful kids, she shows that life as a grown-up - even a pretend grown-up - has its challenges. Heather’s a working mom with parents who live next door, a sister who keeps asking for one of her still-fertile eggs, and friends who are up to more hijinks than even Heather can handle.

Will someone please tell me why writers insist on reading their own material when there are trained professionals that will make their work sound a million times better? (I know...money!) I think this book would have been entertaining but Heather McDonald's reading was distracting. Her reading is monotone and hesitant. She trips over words and pauses at odd moments making it difficult to follow along with her stories. Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch and Rob Lowe are examples of writers who are able to convey their work in a manner that has made me re listen to every one of their books. Heather McDonald's is not. My advice is to read this one.

I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star

You know Judy Greer, right? Wait, what was she in again? The Wedding Planner, 13 Going on 30, 27 Dresses, The Descendants. Yes, you totally recognize her. And, odds are, if you're like most women in America, you feel like she's already your friend. Thankfully, Greer has finally written a book of essays about all the moments, topics, observations, and confessions that you would hope to hear from your best friend.

This book was on par with my absolute, hands down favorite "BossyPants". Judy Greer's stories are touching, funny, interesting and well narrated. As another small town Michigan girl, her early essays on growing up outside Detroit during the "John Hughes" era made me feel like we were besties exchanging memories. Love this book!!!

Love Life

Love Life serves up another delicious selection of intimate stories and observations from Rob Lowe's life, told with humor, warmth, and brutal honesty. After writing his acclaimed debut effort, Lowe felt he had more stories to share and many more friends to introduce. The result is a touching memoir about the business and craft of acting, the pitfalls of success, family, love, and much more.

Rob Lowe's first book set the bar super high and it's still one of my all time favorite Audible books. I was really excited about this new one. I would've loved for him to go into more detail about his early life in Malibu and tales from movies sets. As a sophomore effort this was just ok for me. I felt like it was a lot about his family life, more serious stories that would probably interest someone who is trying to be an actor and his struggle to deal with his kids leaving home for school. Although well written and read I just wasn't into it.

Dust: Kay Scarpetta, Book 21

After working one of the worst mass killings in U.S. history, Scarpetta returns home to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Exhausted and ill, she's recovering at home when she receives an unsettling call. The body of a young woman has been discovered on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's rugby field. The victim, a graduate student named Gail Shipman, is oddly draped in ivory linen and posed in a way that is too deliberate to be the killer's first strike.

I stopped reading these ages ago when Marino started being written without a shred of likeability or any redeeming qualities. He became a caricature of the overly masculine d-bag. Sadly he plays such a huge part in this book and was read so annoyingly that I stopped listening. Don't bother with this one, it definitely is not the old Patricia Cornwell.

Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind

Hollywood was built on beautiful and complicated matinee idols: James Dean and Marlon Brando are classic examples, but in the 1990s, the actor who embodied that archetype was River Phoenix. As the brightly colored 1980s wound down, a new crew of leading men began to appear on movie screens. Hailed for their acting prowess and admired for choosing meaty roles, actors such as Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Keanu Reeves, and Brad Pitt were soon rocketing toward stardom while an unknown Leonardo DiCaprio prepared to make his acting debut. River Phoenix, however, stood in front of the pack.

I couldn't get past the narrator's creepy attempts to imitate all the different voices. It was over acted and strange. It's too bad because I think the story might have been very interesting. Maybe I'll read the book.

Hungry: A Mother and Daughter Fight Anorexia

Unbeknownst to food critic Sheila Himmel-as she reviewed exotic cuisines from bistro to brasserie- her daughter, Lisa, was at home starving herself. Before Sheila fully grasped what was happening, her 14-year-old with a thirst for life and a palate for the flavors of Vietnam and Afghanistan was replaced by a weight-obsessed, antisocial, 100 pound 19-year-old.

Having had past struggles with food issues as well as watching friends struggle I like to read and listen to books that depict others stories of recovery. This is not that book. Although touted as the story of a Mother/Daughter struggle very little is heard from Lisa and much is heard from her mother about her life as a food critic and the history and psychology of eating and why we eat with many, many references to other's books. It makes me think that they advertised this as a memoir to sell more books. I'll be returning mine and hope that Lisa is doing well in her recovery as I won't be making it to the end of this book to find out.

After Camelot: A Personal History of the Kennedy Family - 1968 to the Present

For more than half a century, Americans have been captivated by the Kennedys - their joy and heartbreak, tragedy and triumph, the dark side and the remarkable achievements. In this ambitious and sweeping account, Taraborrelli continues the family chronicle begun with his best-selling Jackie, Ethel, Joan and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the years "after Camelot."

As a fan of anything Kennedy, Rat Pat, Old Hollywood etc. I can say without a doubt that this is one of the best Kennedy books I have listened to (read) in a long time. I was worried that it would be the same old Kennedy stories recycled but was happily surprised to learn new and interesting details about the family and their lives. This is an excellent example of great story meeting perfect narration. I know other reviewers have had issues with Taraborrelli's accents and impersonating the women in this book. I am extremely picky about narration and I had no problem with this whatsoever. I listen to books while I work and this one kept me in my seat the whole time. I know I'll be listening to this one again!

Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants: Based on a True Story

This hilarious, whip-smart collection of essays from a top writer and producer of Six Feet Under crisscrosses from the highly personal (conflating her own loss of virginity and the Kobe Bryant accusations), to the political (what she has in common with Monica and Chandra), to the outrageously Los Angelean (why women wear huge diamonds and what they must do to get them). Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants is a genre-defying combination of personal essay and memoir, or a hilarious, unruly and unapologetic evaluation of society, religion, sex, love, and - best of all - Jill Soloway.

If I could get past Jill Soloway's mocking, valley girl narrative I might have enjoyed this book as the description was right up my alley. She did that annoying thing? Where every sentence? Ended in a question mark? Ugh. I love anything Hollywood or entertainment driven. Her narration was so irritating I could only stomach about an hour before I was so over it I had to turn it off. Back to the Audible home page!!!

The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World

Over the course of a year, the members of the now infamous Bling Ring allegedly burglarized some of the biggest names in young Hollywood. Driven by celebrity worship, vanity, and the desire to look and dress like the rich and famous, these seven teenagers made headlines for using Google maps, Facebook, and TMZ to track the comings and goings of their targets. Many of the houses were unlocked. Alarms disabled. A "perfect" crime - celebrities already had so much, why shouldn't the Bling Ring take their share?

Even if you have been over saturated by this "made for tv" real life drama about a group of kids from the Valley burglarizing some of Hollywood's elite, there is something for you in this book. Instead of regurgitating everything that's already known about this case, the author goes deeper and backs up the facts with a psychological study about narcissism in today's society, and does it in a way that's entertaining and engaging. I highly recommend this one!

Official Book Club Selection

Official Book Club Selection is Kathy Griffin unplugged, uncensored, and unafraid to dish about what really happens on the road, away from the cameras, and at the star party after the show. (It's also her big chance to score that coveted book club endorsement she's always wanted. Are you there, Oprah? It's me, Kathy.)

There are alot of authors out there who should farm out the reading of their books. This is NOT one of them. I don't even watch Kathy's show nor have I seen any of her stand up but I absolutely love this book. I have listened to it over and over again. It's not a straight comedy routine. This book is about growing up, struggling to make it and some scary plastic surgery story. The reading is entertaining and engaging and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys memoirs and humor!

Her: A Memoir

Raised up from poverty by a determined single mother, gifted and beautiful twin sisters Christa and Cara Parravani were able to create a private haven of splendor and amusement that they shared between themselves. They earned their way into a prestigious college, established careers as artists (a photographer and a writer, respectively), and entered young marriages. But plagued by their father's early rejection of them and further damaged by being raped as a young woman, Cara veered into depression, drugs, and a shocking early death.

I am a huge memoir fan and have listened to a bunch. While I found the story interesting I was distracted by the monotone reading. There was no character or inflection to give life to the words and I wish I would have just bought the book and read it.

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